Display fixture assembly



March 29, 1966 R. R. RUHNKE 3,243,051

DISPLAY FIXTURE ASSEMBLY Filed June 24, 1954 WI/I/I/l.

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llnited States Patent G 3,243,051 DESPLAY FIXTURE ASSEMBLY Richard R. Ruhnke, Skoltie, Ill, assignor to Garey Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed June 24, 1964, Ser. No. 377,538 4 Claizns. (Cl. 211-182) This invention relates to a display fixture assembly, and is particularly concerned with means for interchangeably mounting display fixtures on a base member which is the top stretcher of a display rack.

The display rack is used to display merchandise for sale, and the display fixture includes a sign that may indicate the price or any other information pertinent to the merchandise displayed on the rack. The display rack is generally made of a plurality of individual units or sections that may be arranged in any desired manner, and thereafter dismantled and rearranged to form a different display rack. It is often desirable to change the location of the display fixture because of rearrangement of the rack or because of changes in the merchandise display. Usually the display fixture is mounted with its sign parallel to the plane of the section on which it is mounted, but sometimes it may be desirable to have the sign extent at some predetermineid angle relative to the plane of said section.

In accordance with the present invention, the top stretcher of each display rack section serves as a base member for mounting the display fixture. Each base member is provided with a plurality of cylindrical sleeves fixed therein. When the display rack is set up, the user may mount a display fixture, with a sign mounted thereon, in any of a number of different positions. Each sleeve is fixed in the base member with internal projections arranged in predetermined positions so that a display fixture mounted .in any sleeve may be arranged with its sign parallel to the plane of the rack section on which it is mounted, or in any predetermined angular relationship to said plane.

The structure by means of which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a dis play fixture adapted to be mounted in a base member;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the base member having a sleeve fixed therein for supporting said display fixture;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view, taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the base member, showing the aperture in which one end of a cylin-i drical sleeve may be rigidly fixed;

FIG. 5 is a detail perspective view of a cylindrical sleeve adapted to be fixed in the aperture of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, with the sleeve of FIG. 5 fixed in the aperture;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary View, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the upright member of a display fixture mounted in the sleeve fixed in the base member; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a display rack with a plurality of display fixtures mounted thereon.

Referring to the drawings, a display rack 11 is shown in FIG. 8. The structure shown comprises a central panel section 12. supported in upright position by end sections 13 and 14. A plurality of brackets 15 extends forwardly from the central section to support a display shelf 16. It will be understood that the display rack structure illustrated is merely exemplary, and the various sections may be assembled to form a rack of any desired configuration.

Each section of the display rack is provided with one or more sleeves 17 fixed in its top stretcher which serves as a base member 18 for supporting display fixtures 19. Each sleeve is adapted to support a display fixture 19 comprising an upright 2% upon which a frame 21 is mounted. The frame may be integral with the upright, or may be secured thereto in any suitable manner. The configuration of frame 21 is not critical as long as it is capable of holding a sign 22 in display position. Sign 22 may have exposed thereon the sale price or any other information pertinent to the merchandise. Different arrangements of merchandise on display make it desirable to rearrange the display fixtures. Sleeves 17 are identical, and uprights 20 are identical, so that the display fixtures may be interchanged freely. Any display fixture 19 may be lifted upright out of any sleeve 17 and dropped into any open sleeve. Sufficient sleeves are provided so that a wide choice of locations is available for each display fixture. Means, hereinafter described, insure that the signs will be either parallel to the plane of the display rack section in which the display fixture is mounted, or at some predetermined angular relationship thereto.

The top stretcher of the display fixture, which is the base member 18 may be tubular or solid, and may have any desired cross sectional configuration. The preferred construction, as shown in the drawings, comprises a tubular base member 18 having a substantially rectangular cross section. The base member 18 has two opposite sides 23 and 24 provided with registering apertures 25 and 26,

respectively, for each sleeve 17. As shown in FIG.3,

aperture 25 is slightly larger in diameter than aperture 26. Aperture 26 is provided with extensions 27 at two diametrically opposite points of its circumference, as shown in FIG. 4.

A cylindrical sleeve 17 is positioned in each pair of apertures 25 and 26. The outer circumference of sleeve 17, throughout most of its length, is approximately equal to the circumference of aperture 25 so that the sleeve fits snugly in said aperture. Sleeve 17 has its outer circumference reduced at one end, as indicated at 28, to enable said end to fit' snugly in aperture26 with a shoulder 29 seated on the upper surface of side 24. The length of sleeve 17 is equal to the linear distance between the outer surfaces of sides 23 and 24 of base member 18, so that the ends of the sleeve are flush with said surfaces when the sleeve is positioned in apertures 25 and 26 with shoulder 29 seated on side 24. Reduced end portion 28 of sleeve 17 adjacent each extension 27 is swaged into the adjacent extension, as indicated at 363, to rigidly secure the sleeve in the base member.

Sleeve 17 is provided with one or more projections 31 extending inwardly from the inner surface of the sleeve 3) jections 51 may be formed in any suitable manner, but preferably are punched inwardly of sleeve 17. It is obvious that projections 31 must be formed in the sleeve before the sleeve is positioned in the base member.

Upright 20 of display fixture 19 is preferably cylindrical, but may be of any desired cross sectional configuration. In FIG. 7, the upright is shown as a tubular cylindrical member, but it may be solid, if desired. It is essential only that the upright has one end able to fit into sleeve 17 and that said one end of the upright has means interengageable with projections 31 to hold upright 29 against rotational movement relative to sleeve 17. The lower end of upright 26 is provided with concave recesses 32 extending longitudinally in the outer surface of the upright. These recesses are preferably wider at the bottom than at the top to facilitate alignment with the projections with which the recesses are intended to engage.

Although the dimensions of the recesses may decrease from the lower edge of the upright to the top of the recess, each recess is identical. All of the recesses have the same angular relationship to the axis of the upright. If desired, the recesses may be curved helically relative to the axis of the upright. It is preferable, for the sake of economy, to form the recesses by deforming the lower end of the upright, but they may be milled or cut in any suitable manner. With tubular uprights, the recesses may be cut through the entire thickness of the wall, or they may extend through only a portion of the thickness of the wall. The recess must have a depth at least equal to the thickness of the inwardly projecting portion of projections 31 except when the recesses extend through the entire thickness of the wall. It is also possible to mold the display fixture of suitable plastic material and form the recesses in the molding operation.

Regardless of the number of projections and recesses provided in sleeve 17 and upright 26, respectively, it is preferable to have them spaced uniformly, relative to the circumference of the members. Thus, when it is desired to have a sign exhibited at an angle'to the display rack, each upright may be positioned in any sleeve in a plurality of dilferent predetermined radial positions that vary angularly from the position parallel to the display rack to a uniform extent.

When the display fixture is to be mounted on the display rack, the lower end of upright 20 is fitted into an available sleeve 17 and is dropped vertically into said sleeve. If the display fixture is at the proper angular relationship to the display rack, concave recesses 32 will engage projections 31, and the downward movement of the upright will not stop until the display fixture is in its lowermost position. In this position, the interengagement of recesses 32 and projections 31 is tight enough to prevent rotational movement of the upright relative to the sleeve. If the display fixture is not at the proper angular relationship to the display rack, the lower edge of upright 28 will engage projections 31, and the upright may then be rotated manually until the concave recesses are aligned vertically with the projections.

Frame 21 may be rotatably mounted on upright 26 so that it may be arranged to position sign 22 in the desired angular relationship to the display rack. However, it is preferred to mount frame 21 rigidly on the upright so that the frame cannot move out of the angular relationship in which it is set, except by removing the display fixture from its sleeve and then reinserting it at a different angle. When sleeve 17 is positioned in apertures 25 and 26, a display fixture 19, or a dummy of the same dimensions, has its upright positioned within the sleeve with its recesses in engagement with projections 31. The display fixture is then rotated, relative to the base member, until its frame is in the desired radial position. The sleeve is rotated by the rotational movement of the upright. Reduced edge portion 28 of sleeve 17 is then swaged into extensions 2'7 to fix the sleeve rigidly in place. The display fixture, or its dummy, is then removed from the sleeve and the display rack section in which the sleeve has been fixed may be assembled with other sections having similar sleeves to form a complete display rack. Thereafter any display fixture inserted into any of the sleeves will be in the desired position relative to the display rack.

Whenever the display rack is rearranged, or whenever the merchandise on the rack is rearranged or changed, any of the display fixtures may be easily removed from its sleeve, and dilferent display fixtures may be inserted into any of the sleeves to provide an attractive display.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure disclosed.

I claim:

1. A display fixture assembly comprising a tubular base member having registering apertures in two opposite sides, a cylindrical sleeve fitted into said apertures, means holding said sleeve against rotational movement relative to said apertures, said means comprising an extension in one of said apertures and an end portion of said sleeve swaged into engagement with said extension, an upright member having a cylindrical end portion adapted to fit into said sleeve, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending inwardly from the inner surface of said sleeve, and a plurality of longitudinally extending concave recesses spaced circumferentially on said cylindrical end portion of said upright member, the circumferential spacing of said recesses coinciding with the spacing of said projections, whereby each of said recesses may engage one of said projections to hold said upright member against rotational movement relative to said sleeve.

2. A display structure comprising a display rack having means to support merchandise in display position, said display rack having a top stretcher, a vertically disposed sleeve fixed in said top stretcher with its ends flush with opposite surfaces of said top stretcher, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending inwardly of said sleeve in a common plane extending transversely of said sleeve intermediate the length of said sleeve, an upright member having a cylindrical end portion adapted to fit in said sleeve, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses in the peripheral surface of said cylindrical end portion, said last mentioned recesses being engageable with said projections to hold said upright member against rotational movement relative to said sleeve.

3. A display structure comprising a display rack having means to support merchandise in display position, said display rack having a top stretcher, said top stretcher having an aperture, a cylindrical sleeve in said aperture, a plurality of projections extending inwardly from the inner surface of said sleeve, means rigidly securing said sleeve in said aperture with said projections in predetermined radial positions relative to the circumference of, said aperture, an upright member having a cylindrical end portion adapted to fit in said sleeve and means integral with said cylindrical end portion engageable with said projections to position said upright member in a predeterminted selective angular relationship with the display structure and to hold said upright member against rotational movement relative to said sleeve.

4. A display structure comprising a display rack having means to support merchandise in display position, said display rack having a plurality of top stretchers, each of said top stretchers having a plurality of sleeves, a plurality of circumferentially spaced projections extending inwardly of each of said sleeves, an upright member having a cylindrical and portion adapted to be removably fitted into each of said sleeves whereby said upright memher may be selectively positioned in various positions along the length of said top stretchers, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending concave recesses in the peripheral surface of said cylindrical end portion engageable with said projections in the sleeve in which said upright member is fitted to hold said upright member against rotational movement relative to the sleeve in which it is fitted said projections and said recesses permitting variations in the angular relationship between said upright and said display rack.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/ 1947 John 182-228 11/1951 Malrn 285-191 8/1958 Johnson 287-56 2/1962 Ruhnke 211-177 2/1965 Larson 211-177 FOREIGN PATENTS 3/ 195 8' Austria.

7/ 1959 Switzerland.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

OHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

15 W. D. LOULAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DISPLAY FIXTURE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A TUBULAR BASE MEMBER HAVING REGISTERING APERTURES IN TWO OPPOSITE SIDES, A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE FITTED INTO SAID APERTURES, MEANS HOLDING SAID SLEEVE AGAINST ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID APERTURES, SAID MEANS COMPRISING AN EXTENSION IN ONE OF SAID APERTURES AND AN END PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE SWAGED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID EXTENSION, AND UPRIGHT MEMBER HAVING A CYLINDRICAL END PORTION ADAPTED TO FIT INTO SAID SLEEVE, A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED PROJECTIONS EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SLEEVE, AND A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CONCAVE RECESSES SPACED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ON SAID CYLIN- 